Expert
Articles by John Neporadny Jr. - June
2011
Chad Brauer’s Favorite Lake of the Ozarks
Patterns
By John Neporadny Jr.
Fishing and guiding at the Lake of the Ozarks
helped Chad Brauer gain plenty of experience before he followed his legendary
father on the tournament trail.
The son of bass tournament superstar Denny
Brauer has also become a topnotch professional angler by winning the 1996
Bassmasters Tennessee Top 100 Pro event and qualifying for the 1998 Bassmasters
Classic. When he’s home from the tournament trail, Chad Brauer still fishes in
some tournaments on his home lake. Here’s a look at his favorite ways to catch
bass on Lake of the Ozarks throughout the seasons.
Winter
From December through mid-March, Brauer keys on
the lower end of the lake (from about the 30-mile mark to Bagnell Dam). The
water temperature during this time usually ranges from 32 degrees to the
mid-50s.
Keying on bluff ends and steep points, Brauer
casts a brown 1/ 2-ounce chameleon craw Strike King Pro Model Jig and small
brown pork chunk to the bank and works it back to the boat. The depth of the
fish depends on the weather. “A good starting spot for me is 15 to 25 feet and
I may move a little shallower or deeper,” he suggests.
Spring
During the pre-spawn stage, Brauer sticks with
the same jig that he uses in the wintertime but if the water turns dirty he
changes colors and tactics. In murky water he switches to a black-and-blue or
black-and-chartreuse jig and plastic craw and pitches or flips the lure in the
shallows.
The Osage Beach, MO, pro concentrates on the
last one or two bluff banks he finds in the backs of creeks and coves. If the
water is clear, he will cast to the steep banks and work the lure out to 20
feet, but in murky water conditions he pitches the lure and targets fish in the
1- to 5-foot range.
This pattern produces best for Brauer from
early March to mid-April when the water temperature is in the mid 50s to low
60s. He can catch bass on this tactic from Bagnell Dam to Truman Dam during this
time.
All arms of the lake also produce for Brauer
during the spawn, which usually runs during a three-week stretch from late April
to early May. The water temperature then is usually in the low to upper 60s.
Brauer continues using the brown jig tipped
with a Strike King 3X Denny Brauer Chunk, but he also throws a Devil’s Horse
or Zara Spook on top or works a green pumpkin plastic lizard along the bottom.
He looks for shallow pockets and any banks with pea gravel where he keys on the
boat docks. Most of the fish will be less than 10 feet deep during this time.
After the bass spawn, Brauer still works the
same areas with topwater lures but keys more on the outside corners of the
docks. “Those postspawn fish will back off on the docks and suspend underneath
the foam,” he says. Brauer also drags a Carolina-rigged plastic lizard or
twitches a Strike King 3X Zero jerk worm in the same areas.
Brauer’s favorite stretch to fish during the
post-spawn is from the 10- to 60-mile mark.
He notes this stage of the spawn usually runs
from late May to early June when the water temperature is 70 to 75 degrees.
Summer
Deep structure in the backs of coves or on the
main lake is Brauer’s primary target during the heat of the summer. He looks
for boat docks or brush piles along steeper banks or points in the 15- to
25-foot depth range. His primary lures for probing the depths are a 1/ 2-ounce
green pumpkin Strike King Pro Model Jig and green pumpkin plastic craw and a 10-
or 11-inch plastic worm in red shad or green pumpkin hues. He also tries some
deep cranking in the same areas with Strike King Series 5 or 6 crankbaits in
shad patterns or chartreuse with a blue back.
His summertime patterns work best from the end
of June through the middle of August when the water temperature climbs from 75
degrees to the high 80s. Brauer’s favorite area to fish in the summer is the
mid-lake stretch from the 10- to 40-mile mark.
Fall
The Lake of the Ozarks expert rates this season
as the toughest time for him to fish his home lake.
On the lower end of the lake, he continues to
fish the summertime patterns until the water starts cooling down. Brauer also
starts running up the major tributaries and keys on the isolated docks and brush
on the shallow flats. He suggests this pattern will work on the upper Osage,
Grand Glaize, Niangua and Gravois arms. On cloudy days, he works the areas with
a buzz bait, spinnerbait or Strike King 4S crankbait. In sunny weather he will
swim either a 3/8- or 1/ 2-ounce white Strike King Pro Model Jig and white
plastic chunk or plastic crawfish around the boat docks. The fish in these areas
will be 5 feet deep or shallower.
The shallow flats pattern works best for Brauer
from the end of August until November when the water temperature drops from the
mid 70s to the low 60s.
For
information on lodging and other facilities at the Lake of the Ozarks or to
receive a free 162-page vacation guide, call the Lake of the Ozarks Convention
& Visitors Bureau at 1-800-FUN-LAKE or visit the Lake of the Ozarks
Convention and Visitors Bureau web site at www.funlake.com.
Copies of John Neporadny's book, "THE Lake of the Ozarks Fishing
Guide" are available by calling 573/365-4296 or visiting the web site www.jnoutdoors.com.